Words with Tales attached

1. accolade: praise or approval; an embrace of greeting or salutation. When French generals kiss the cheeks of the man being honored, they are continuing a custom of the early French kings who placed their arms around the neck (Latin ad “to” and colum “neck”) of the new knight in order to kiss him. William the Conqueror used his fist to confer knighthood. Later a gentle stroke with the flat of the sword on the side of the neck became the accepted method.

2. conclave: a private or secret meeting; an assembly or gathering, especially one with authority, power, and influence. When a pope is to be elected, the College of Cardinals meets in a room locked on the inside and outside. No one is permitted to leave until a new pope has been chosen. From Latin, then, a conclave is a meeting in a room locked with (con) a key (clavis). You can recognize the same root in clef, clavicle, and conclude.

3. dirge: a funeral hymn; a slow sad song, poem, or musical composition; a lament. Dirge is a contraction of the first word of a Latin funeral service that begins, “Dirge, Domine…” (“O Lord, direct my way in Thy sight”) This in turn is based on the words of a Psalm. (“…Make Thy way straight before may face”)

4. draconian: harsh or vigorous; a law or code of extreme severity. Draco was an Athenian lawgiver whose code or laws, established in 621 B.C., called for the most severe penalties for the smallest offense.

5. epicurean: devoted to the pursuit of pleasure; fond of the good food, comfort, and ease. The followers of Epicurus are associated with the pursuit of pleasure, so that Epicureanism has become synonymous with luxurious living. The early Epicureans were contrasted with the Stoics, followers of Zeno, who taught that the wise man should be free from passion and submissive to natural law. The Stoic today is one who endures the hardships of life without complaint.

6. gossamer: soft, sheer, gauzy fabric; fine film of cobwebs seen in autumn; anything delicate, light or insubstantial. Lexicographers theorize that this word, derived from Middle English goose and somer, was first used as a name for Indian summer, when gees were in season.

7. immolate: to kill, as a sacrifice; ;to destroy or renounce for the sake of something else. Ground grain or meal (Latin mole) was sprinkled by the Roman priest on the head of an animal before it was sacrificed. Later, this preparatory act of sprinkling, immolation, came to mean the sacrifice itself.

8. juggernaut: anything that exacts blind devotion or terrible sacrifice; any terrible, irresistible force. Juggernaut is the Hindu god whose idol is dragged in a religious procession on an enormous car. Devotees are sometimes crushed under the wheels of the advancing car. The word today is applied to any large, overpowering, destructive force or object such as war, a giant battleship or a powerful football team.

9. junket: a party, banquet, or an outing; a trip taken by an official and paid for with public funds. Junket began as a Latin word juncos (“a twig”) and referred to as basket made of rushed and twigs. Soon the word was applied to delicacies, especially cream and cheese preparations served in these baskets. Finally, it became the feast served out of doors, a picnic. The political slant to junket probably stems from the clambakes or beef-and pretzel-feasts once offered by political clubs to their followers. After moving into the political sphere, the word acquired its modern meaning of an official trip underwritten by the taxpayer-a long way from the twigs and cheese.

10. ostracism: a rejection or exclusion form a group or society by general consent. In ancient Athens, if the assembly decided a person was endangering the public welfare or liberty a vote was taken to send the guilty one into exile. A potsherd or oyster shell (from the Greek ostra) on which was written the name of the person to be ostracized was dropped into an urn. The modern blackballing of members from organizations closely follows this method.

11. proletariat: the working class; the unprotected class. Proles, a Latin word for “offspring” is the source of proletariat or the poor class, who, because they were prolific, served the state only by producing offspring.

12. rigmarole: confused, incoherent, foolish talk; a complicated and petty procedure. Rigmarole is an alternation of ragman roll, a series of documents in which the Scottish noblemen acknowledged their allegiance to Edward I of England.

13. rubric: a title, heading, or direction in a book written or printed in red or otherwise distinguished form the rest of the text; an established custom or rule of procedure; a short commentary or explanation covering a broad subject. In the monasteries, the monks who copied the works of the ancient authors often adorned their manuscripts with beautiful decorations. For headings, they followed the Roman practice of using red ink (Latin rubber). Thus rubric came to mean not only the initial ornamental letters but also the directive or rule of conduct that was often part of the heading.

14. Socratic: Pertaining to Socrates or his philosophical method of repeated questioning to elicit truths implicit in all rational beings. Socrates, a Greek philosopher and the chief speaker in Plato’s Dialogues, developed his ideas by constantly asking questions or forcing admissions from his opponents. Condemned to death for irreverence to the gods and corrupting the youth, Socrates is now remembered as a seeker after truth and a man who taught his disciples how to think.

15. sycophant: a self-seeking, servile flatterer; fawning parasite; one who attempt to win favor or advance himself by flattering persons of influence. Since the Greek roots mean “showing figs,” two possible explanations have been offered for the story behind sycophant. One is that the gesture of a fig was used to denounce a criminal, making a sycophant an informer. The other is more literal. it was unlawful to export figs and one who reported such an act was called a sycophant, or fig-shower. The modern meaning derives form the informer’s cringing and servile manner.

Exercises

I. Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement , then circle the word that comes to mind.

1. They are the backbone of our industrial power
(rubric, proletariat, juggernaut)
2. The silent treatment
(conclave, dirge, ostracism)
3. In some underdeveloped countries, a thief is punished by having his hand cut off.
(Socratic, draconian, junket)
4. Eat, drink, and be merry
(epicurean, immolate, sycophant)
5. This play describes the Drama Critics’ Award.
(accolade, rigmarole, gossamer)
6. The president and his cabinet deliberated for three hours.
(rubric, conclave, dirge)
7. Screen stars are often surrounded by flatterers
(sycophant, immolate, proletariat)
8. Detective Brady went through the lengthy process of reading the prisoner his rights
(juggernaut, accolade, rigmarole)
9. Belonging to the library board allowed me to take many expense-free trips to conventions
(sycophant, dirge, junket)
10. The wailing of the widow could be heard over the sound of the organ at the funeral.
(dirge, ostracism, draconian)

II. True or False?
In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false.

____1. A sycophant speaks with sincerity
____ 2. A dirge would be inappropriate at a wedding.
____ 3. A rigmarole is a tall masted sailing ship
____ 4. A rubric has to be written in red
____ 5. A model sailing ship in a bottle is a good example of a juggernaut.
____ 6. Professor Smith lectured the entire period in true Socratic fashion
____ 7. With accolades still ringing in his ears, the star thanked the audience.
____ 8. The warden resorted to draconian measures to get the truth out of the felon.
____ 9. His alibi, lacking in substance, was as light as gossamer.
____ 10. Harold organized a taxpayer’s protest against congressional junkets.

III. Synonyms and Antonyms
Indicate whether the following pairs of words are the same, opposite, or unrelated in meaning by writing S.O. or U in the space provided.
____ 1. ostracism-acceptance
____ 2. accolade--encomium
____ 3. immolate--soften
____ 4. rigmarole--fabrication
____ 5. epicurean--pleasure-bound


IV. Fill in the Blank
Insert one of the new words in the proper space in each sentence below

1. After their leader’s death, the government radio station began to broadcast a ______________.
2. We felt that the new rules were __________________, but our protests were unheeded.
3. The first victims of AIDS were subject to __________________, by people who were generally ignorant of the disease.
4. In order to get a loan, you have to go through a tremendous _______________at a local bank.
5. The famous movie producer was surrounded by _________________.
6. The Chicago Bulls _______________ rolled over their opponents with startling ease.
7. In addition to the loud _______________, each star received a floral tribute.
8. The revolution’s leaders sought to win the support of the _________________.
9. At an all-night ___________________, the angry reporters decided to resign.
10. With his __________________ tastes, Vincenzo found it easy to mingle with the sybarites.

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